140 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



themselves with the Society, then, it was argued, when the time 

 came to interfere with their " general fishery," the risk of war 

 would be removed, and the king's tithe and right might be 

 acknowledged and established by proclamation or otherwise. 1 



The acknowledgment of the king's " sovereignty or title 

 annexed to the dignity of the Crown " required the contribution 

 of the tenth or the twentieth fish, more or less, to be delivered 

 at sea for the general good of the Society, so that they might 

 be able to tide over bad years and maintain the fishermen. 

 In this way, by heavily taxing the Hollanders, it was believed 

 that " no man should be discouraged by bad successe, but might 

 depend upon God's blessing with a quiete minde to follow his 

 vocacion avoydinge Idlenes by ye survey of others." On the 

 other hand, the Society would undertake to pay the king so 

 much upon every last of fish as might be thought convenient, 

 provided that letters patent were granted under which the 

 Hollanders and other strangers would be " limited and ruled." 



In this scheme of the London merchants it was proposed to 

 acquire in the first year fifty fishing vessels, partly by buying 

 them beyond the seas, and partly by building them in 

 Denmark, Scotland, and the north of England. The busses 

 were not to exceed fifty, or the dogger-boats thirty tons, since 

 the Dutch in recent years had found the smaller vessels more 

 profitable than the larger ones. It was stated that some 

 families in Holland, the "east countries," and Hamburg, with 

 vessels of their own, were desirous of joining the London 

 Society, several of them had indeed arrived in England, and 

 it was proposed to admit them for a few years only, in order 

 to lay the foundations of the business, and to educate English 

 lads in the curing of herrings, and, what was "not the least 

 point," to make the English as industrious as themselves. 

 When the fishery was thoroughly established, it would be easy 

 to erect "staple towns and magazines" for the commodities 

 of other countries ; the ships of the Society would bring back 

 merchandise for the fish exported, and a great commerce would 

 be created. In all this prosperity " the King's Majesty might 

 be made a partaker, as a Royal Merchant," while the stock 

 required would easily be found among the merchants. On the 



1 A rubric in the copy at the Record Office says, " By Proclamation first, most' 

 convenient to all the world." 



